The annual ceremony at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry's awards season, which culminates each year in the Academy Awards. The eligibility period for the Golden Globes corresponds to the calendar year (i.e. January 1 through December 31). The most recent ceremony, the 75th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television in 2017, was held on January 7, 2018. The next ceremony, the 76th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television in 2018, will be held on January 6, 2019.

In 1950, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made the decision to establish a special honorary award to recognize outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Recognizing its subject as an international figure within the entertainment industry, the first award was presented to director and producer, Cecil B. DeMille. The official name of the award thus became the Cecil B. DeMille Award.[3]

Beginning in 1963, the trophies commenced to be handed out by one or more persons (exclusively female at first) referred to as "Miss Golden Globe," a title renamed on January 5, 2018 to "Golden Globe Ambassador." The holders of the position were, traditionally, the daughters or sometimes the sons of a celebrity, and as a point of pride, these often continued to be contested among celebrity parents.[4]

In 2009, the Golden Globe statuette was redesigned (but not for the first time in its history). The New York firm Society Awards collaborated for a year with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to produce a statuette that included a unique marble and enhanced the statuette's quality and gold content. It was unveiled at a press conference at the Beverly Hilton prior to the show.[5]

Revenues generated from the annual ceremony have enabled the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to donate millions of dollars to entertainment-related charities, as well as funding scholarships and other programs for future film and television professionals. The most prominent beneficiary being the Young Artist Awards, presented annually by the Young Artist Foundation, established in 1978 by late Hollywood Foreign Press member Maureen Dragone, to recognize and award excellence of young Hollywood performers under the age of 21, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.[6][7][8]

The qualifying eligibility period for all nominations is the calendar year from January 1 through December 31.[9]

Voice-over performances and cameo appearances in which persons play themselves are disqualified from all of the film and TV acting categories.

Films must be at least 70 minutes, and released for at least a seven-day run in the Greater Los Angeles area starting prior to midnight on December 31. Films can either be released in theaters, on pay-per-view, or digital delivery.[9]

For the Best Foreign Language Film category, they do not need to be released in the United States. At least 51 percent of the dialogue must still be in a language other than English, and they must first be released in their country of origin during a 14-month period from November 1 to December 31 prior to the Awards. However, if a film was not released in its country of origin due to censorship, it can still qualify if it had a one-week release in the United States during the qualifying calendar year. There is no limit to the number of submitted films from a given country.[9]

A TV program must air in the United States between the prime time hours of 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m (or 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m on Sundays). A show can air on broadcast television, basic or premium cable, or digital delivery; it does not qualify of it is only on pay-per-view or via digital delivery of film. Also, a TV show must either be made in the United States, or is a co-production financially and creatively between an American and a foreign production company. Furthermore, reality and non-scripted shows are disqualified.[9]

For a television film, it cannot be entered in both the film and TV categories, and instead should be entered based on its original release format. If it was first aired on American television, then it can be entered into the TV categories. If it was released in theaters or on pay-per-view, then it should instead to be entered into the film categories. A film festival showing does not count towards disqualifying what would otherwise be a TV program.[9]

Actors in a TV series must appear in at least six episodes during the qualifying calendar year. Actors in a TV film or miniseries must appear in at least five percent of the time in that TV film or miniseries.[9]

Active HFPA members need to be invited to an official screening of each eligible film directly by its respective distributor or publicist. The screening must take place in the Greater Los Angeles area, either before the film's release or up to one week afterwards. The screening can be a regular one in a theater with the public or a press screening; it does not need to be an HFPA member-only event. The screening must also be cleared with the Motion Picture Association of America so there are not scheduling conflicts with other official screening.[9]

For TV programs, they must merely be available to be seen by HFPA members in any common format, such as the original TV broadcast.

Entry forms for films need to be received by the HFPA within ten days of the official screening. TV programs should be submitted "as early as possible" before the deadline.[9]

As part of their regular journalistic jobs, active HFPA members will participate in covering the press conferences, and interviewing cast members, of selected films and TV programs. The film press conferences need to take place either before the film's release in the Greater Los Angeles area or up to one week afterwards.[9]

Ballots to select the nominations are sent to HFPA members in November, along with a "Reminder List" of eligible film and TV programs.[10] Each HFPA member then votes for their top five choices in each category, numbering them 5 to 1, with 5 being their top choice. The nominees in each category are then the five selections that receive the most votes. The ranked voting is only used to break ties, with number 5 worth 5 points, number 4 worth 4 points, and so on.[9]

After the nominations are announced in mid-December, HFPA members receive the final ballots.[10] The winner in each category is selected from among the nominees by plurality voting. In case of a tie, the winner is the one that had the most votes on the nomination ballot.[9]

The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, telecast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars and the Grammy Awards. Since 2010, it was televised live in all United States time zones. Until Ricky Gervais hosted in 2010, the award ceremony was one of two major Hollywood award ceremonies (the other being the Screen Actors Guild Awards) that did not have a regular host; every year a different presenter introduced the ceremony at the beginning of the broadcast. Gervais returned to host the 68th and 69th Golden Globe Awards the next two years.[11]Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 70th, 71st and 72nd Golden Globe Awards in 2015. The Golden Globe Awards' theme song, which debuted in 2012, was written by Japanese musician and songwriter Yoshiki Hayashi.[citation needed]

Since 1993, Dick Clark Productions has produced the ceremony with NBC as broadcaster; its involvement came at a time of instability for the Golden Globes, including reduced credibility and having lost its contract with CBS. Enthusiastic over Clark's commitment, the HFPA's contract contained an unusual provision granting Dick Clark Productions the role of producer in perpetuity, as long as it continued to maintain a broadcast rights deal for the ceremony with NBC.[12]

In 2010, Dick Clark Productions reached an extension with NBC through 2018. However, the deal was negotiated without the HFPA's knowledge. The HFPA sued DCP over the deal, as well as claims that the company was attempting to sell digital rights that it did not hold; the HFPA had wanted a new contract that would grant them a larger share of revenue from the telecast. In April 2012, judge Howard Matz upheld the NBC perpetuity clause and ruled in favor of DCP, noting that the HFPA had a history of "unbusiness-like display[s] of misplaced priorities" and "[succumbing] to bouts of pronounced turmoil and personal feuds", in contrast to DCP, which had been "represented by one experienced executive who was adept at dealing fairly and effectively with the often amateurish conduct of HFPA." Matz pointed out examples of the HFPA's enthusiasm over the relationship and their desire to "not get cancelled", such as having disregarded its own bylaws by approving an extension in 2001 without a formal vote. The case was taken to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.[12]

In 2014, Dick Clark Productions and the HFPA reached a settlement; details were not released, but DCP committed to continue its role as producer through at least the end of its current contract with NBC, and to work with the HFPA to "expand the brand with unique and exciting entertainment experiences". NBC held a right of first refusal to renew its contract beyond 2018, but bidding was to be open to other broadcasters;[13][14] in September 2018, NBC agreed to renew its rights to the Golden Globes through 2027, maintaining the current broadcast arrangement and the involvement of Dick Clark Productions.[15][16]

NBC originally had exclusive broadcast rights to the ceremonies, but on January 11, HFPA President Jorge Camara announced there would be no restrictions placed on media outlets covering the January 13 press conference, announcing the winners at 6:00pm PST.[17] As a result, E!, CNN, the TV Guide Network and KNBC-TV, the network's Los Angeles owned-and-operated affiliate, aired the 31-minute event, emanating from the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel live, leaving NBC to fill the hour from 9:00–10:00pm ET with announcements, made after-the-fact by Access Hollywood hosts Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell.[18] The remaining hours of programming, set aside for the ceremonies by the network, were filled with a special two-hour edition of Dateline, hosted by Matt Lauer, that included film clips, interviews with some of the nominees and commentary from comedianKathy Griffin and the panelists from Football Night in America.[citation needed]

The HFPA has had a lucrative contract with NBC for decades,[21] which began broadcasting the award ceremony locally in Los Angeles in 1958, then nationally in 1964. However, in 1968, the Federal Communications Commission claimed the show “misled the public as to how the winners were determined” (allegations included that winners were determined by lobby; to motivate winners to show up to the awards ceremony winners were informed if they did not attend another winner would be named). The FCC admonished NBC for participating in the scandal. Subsequently, NBC refused to broadcast the ceremony from 1968 until after 1974.[22][23]

Pia Zadora awarded “New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture” in 1982Edit

The nominations for the 2011 Globes drew initial skepticism, as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated The Tourist in its Best Musical/Comedy category, although it was originally advertised as a spy thriller, and also one of the most panned films of the season with host, Ricky Gervais, even joking to main star of the film, Johnny Depp, if he had seen the movie. Rumors then surfaced that Sony, the distributor of The Tourist, had influenced Globes voters with an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas, culminating in a concert by Cher.[28]

^Tucker, Reed (January 16, 2011). "The Moet the merrier". The NY Post. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. And the HFPA has no problem paying for it; a lucrative contract with NBC makes the organization rich.

^Tucker, Reed (January 16, 2011). "The Moet the merrier". The NY Post. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. The HFPA’s seemingly cozy relationship with the stars they cover has occasionally led to scandal. From 1968 to 1974, the Globes were booted off NBC after the Federal Communications Commission claimed the show “misled the public as to how the winners were determined.” The government report suggested winners were required to show up at the ceremony, otherwise, another name would be chosen.